Smiley: Do the wave by phone

Smiley: Do the wave by phone

I’ve remarked before that one of the benefits of cellphones with earpieces is that people who walk around talking to themselves no longer get funny looks — everyone assumes they’re chatting on their phone.

Brenda Sharp reports on technology that offers new possibilities for strange people:

“Most everyone has experienced that embarrassing feeling of responding to someone you think is talking to you, only to find they are talking to someone else on the phone, using an earpiece.

“Blush, say ‘Sorry,’ and move on.

“I wonder what new feelings and responses will be generated by a new feature described in The Advocate on Saturday describing Samsung Galaxy’s new phone feature to control applications by ‘making gestures in the air above the phone.’ ”

Now we can talk to ourselves AND wave our arms around without being thought odd — just up on the latest technology.

On the border

“I was born and raised in Elizabeth, just west of Oakdale, and have traveled La. 10 for 58 years.

“Years ago I named that rice fields/pine tree point the Boudreaux-Dixon Line.”

Home cooking

Robert Cabes says, regarding our story of Louisiana crawfish being shipped to Oregon:

“Oregon has crawfish, identical to the ones we eat here.

“Dr. Jay Huner long ago taught folks in Oregon how to grow and cook the swamp reds.

“A quick Google search shows numerous crawfish festivals in Oregon.”

Flat nice people

Valeria Verbois says she was on her way to work on Interstate 12 when she (and other motorists) ran over a part that fell off an 18-wheeler, causing a flat tire and bent rim on her car and flats on other cars:

“I cannot tell you how frightening it is to try to change a flat tire on the side of the interstate with cars, trucks and 18-wheelers whizzing past you.

“In the middle of changing my tire, I looked up to see a young man approaching me with a big smile on his face. He had already changed two flat tires for other motorists and had not even started on his car.

“He had retrieved the chunk of iron that had caused so much damage, and told me to get a picture of it while he finished up changing my tire.

“His name is Scott McKenzie, and I want to thank him for his kindness.”

Dining for dogs

From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 15 percent of pretax receipts will be donated to the rescue group if diners mention it.

The organization helps terminally ill people and their families or deployed military personnel “re-home their dogs before surrendering them to a shelter as a last resort.”

Speaking of pets

The SPCA of Livingston has an adoption event from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Hooters in Denham Springs.

Hooters will donate $2 when a flyer is presented with an order. Call (225) 243-7962. For pets currently available for adoption, go to http://www.livingstonspca.com/.

Surviving Animal House

Tommy Watts and John Wayne Jewell recall Maggie Simmonds as the lady who “cleaned the rooms of a bunch of messy fraternity boys at the Kappa Sigma house at LSU in the ’50s and early ’60s. We thought Maggie was an old lady back then. How could we have known that she would outlive so many of us?